Urban Decay Wild West Review: Is This Palette Worth The Buy?

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Stephanie Jensen

Makeup Artist at Glamour N Glow

With a personal style that screams rocker chick, Stephanie is not just a makeup and beauty enthusiast; she's a force to be reckoned with in the beauty community. Her journey began during her college days, working at Sephora. Today, her collection has grown so vast that it's almost rebellious in its proportions, leading her to stash extra products even at her boyfriend’s apartment. A testament to her dedication, Stephanie is constantly on the hunt for the latest beauty releases, often adding new products to her collection daily. For Glamour n’ Glow, she brings her expertise to the forefront, reviewing a plethora of beauty products and crafting engaging tutorials. Her passion doesn't stop at writing; when she's not contributing to Glamour n’ Glow, you can find Stephanie shopping at Sephora, engrossed in YouTube MUA videos, or meticulously caring for her makeup tools and practicing her skincare routine. Dive into her content and get a taste of her edgy, rocker-inspired approach to beauty.

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It’s official: the Urban Decay Naked palettes are now a household name. And this is no different for UD’s newest palette, Naked Wild West. This is a totally versatile palette, combining neutral shades with smoky colors and even some unique hues, like blue.

Honestly, I wasn’t crazy about this palette when I first looked at it. But I love just about all of the other Naked palettes I own, so I figured I would give this a try. I ended up loving this! While I don’t think I will like it as much as Naked 2, it’s definitely one that I can see myself using for a long time.

Pros

• Long-lasting. Trust me, I wore this palette out before an, err, a night of drinking. And let’s just say I passed out with my makeup on (I KNOW REALLY BAD) and the shadow didn’t come off! It looked less intense in the morning, but it was still there.
• High-quality shadows. But seriously, this is UD. Is this a shock?
• Applies beautifully
• Crazy pigmented. Though some of the colors look different than they do in the pan (I will go over this later)
• Super soft powder formula
• A combination of shimmery and matte shades

Cons

• There are some underperformers here. For example, I barely see myself using Spur. MAYBE as a transition shade, and even then, there are better transition shades in this palette.
• Not as blendable as other palettes, like Naked 2 or 3
• Some colors look different than they do in the pan

A Breakdown of the Colors

I swatched these colors on my arm. The first shade on the far left of the palette (Standoff) is on my wrist. The last shade on the far right (Pony Up) is next to my inner elbow. Not all colors are super pigmented — I did have to dip my finger back in to show the pigment. You can also see the texture is a little off on some color. But here’s a more in-depth description of each.

Standoff

This is the color I used as a base shade, and this one will likely be my go-to base shade for a while. It’s a satiny color with a slight sheen, not too shimmery but not totally matte. There wasn’t any fallout, and the color applied beautifully, though it is very light.

Spur

Spur is a peach, matte color. When swatching the color on my hand, I noticed it’s barely pigmented and has a dry texture.

Nudie

I actually ended up putting Nudie over Standoff. It’s similar to Spur, only darker but still sheer. This one also makes a good base shade, and I can see myself using this as a transition shade for other looks.

Hold ‘Em

One of my favorite colors! This is copper with a golden sparkle. I applied this to the inner corners of my eyes, but you can apply this with a damp brush for a more intense glittery eyeshadow. It is a bit dry but is seriously pigmented.

Cowboy Rick

This is one I will probably play with next. It’s a light and sparkling silver. Like Hold ‘Em, it has a bit of a dry texture. The sparkle is intense, but the silver color is pretty sheer. I can also see this color looking beautiful over a matte eyeshadow to add a bit of sparkle.

Laredo

Laredo is an interesting color. In the pan, it looks like a dark taupe. But when I swatch it, it almost has a mauve hint to it. This color seems to blend well, so I also recommended using this as a transition shade. It has a very soft consistency.

Bud

Man, am I excited to play with this one. I usually don’t care for pastels, but this color is lovely. It’s a beautiful light blue-teal color with frosted sparkles. Other reviewers complained that the shade is stiff, but I think it’s very soft.

Rustler

This reminds me of a darker version of Hold ‘Em. Rustler is a golden bronze with metallic glitter. The color is kind of firm, but the color is so rich. The shimmer especially looks beautiful.

Ghost Town

This is probably my favorite in the whole palette! This is a very warm, red-brown color with a matte finish.

I knew I wanted to do a brown smoky eye, so I used this as the transition shade. It’s very blendable and soft. I did experience a bit of fallout, but I was easily able to wipe it off with a foundation brush.

Whiskey

Whiskey is one of my favorite UD colors, in general. This is a matte medium-brown that’s perfect for smoky looks. It blended beautifully, though it is pretty dark and ended up taking over Ghost Town.

Tex

I usually don’t care for blue eyeshadow. I have brown/hazel eyes, and I don’t think blues do anything for my eye color. But this blue actually looks really pretty. This is a dark blue/teal with a matte finish. It does have a crumbly texture, but the pigment is amazing.

Pony Up

This is the color I used on the outer corner of my eye to smoke out my look. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it’s darker on the skin than it is in the pan (or maybe I’m just that pale). This color is dark gray with a matte finish.

It has a soft texture and is extremely blendable, even though it’s really dark. I did have a bit of fallout, but I usually do for dark eyeshadow colors.

The Look I Did

As I said, I decided to do a brown/red smoky eye. I absolutely love it. I wouldn’t do this exact look again, but a similar one. Whiskey kind of overtook Ghost Town. Next time, I’ll keep Ghost Time in the crease and will use another color like Laredo to blend it into the base shade.

I first applied Ghost Town as the transition shade. As I said, I absolutely love this color. I think it makes a great transition shade if you’re doing a brown/warm smoky eye. It would also make a good base shade if you want to achieve the same look but with a lighter color in the crease.

I next went in with Standoff as the base shade. Standoff is usually a color I would wear as the base shade, but not with Ghost Town. Ghost Town is too dark, and the colors didn’t blend as well as I wanted.

I ended up applying Nudie over Standoff and blended it into Ghost Town. Then, my look was better.

Next, I took a fluffy angled brush and applied Whiskey to the middle of my lid, blending into the outer corner of my eye.

My goal was for Ghost Town to still be visible, but Whiskey was a lot darker than expected and ended up taking over Ghost Town. I re-applied Ghost Town, so I wouldn’t mix those two colors again.

Next, I applied Pony Up but only to the outer corner of my eye and blended it into my brow bone.

At first, I wasn’t sure if it would show over Whiskey, but it’s darker than expected. I still wouldn’t combine Pony Up with Whiskey. Pony Up is a shade I will likely wear on my base for an intense smoky eye, with Cowboy Rick as the transition shade or even over the top of Pony Up.

Finally, I applied Hold ‘Em to the inner corner of my eye. It gave my eyes a bit of a gold pop. I can see myself wearing this to the inner corner of my eye and maybe even on my lid to really make my eyes pop.

I finished with some dark blue eyeliner (as something different) from Nyx and Surfer Curl mascara from Tarte, and then I was done!

Alternatives

Sure, the Urban Decay Naked Wild West palette is a must if you’re a UD Naked fan. This is also a great palette if you love warm-toned colors. But maybe you don’t like all of the colors, the palette is too big, or it’s expensive.

If this is the case, here are some other alternatives I recommend.

Urban Decay Naked 2

Okay, I’m biased, but this is my absolute favorite Urban Decay Naked palette.

The colors in the Naked 2 palette are taupe-based, which I prefer over brown. And you get great versatility in the palette. Like I always say, this is my favorite palette for smoky eyes, though there are so many gorgeous light and shimmery shades to use.

Urban Decay Naked Heat

At first, I was iffy about this palette. But looking back, I really love the warm-toned smoky shades in Urban Decay’s Naked Heat palette. This is a good palette if you don’t like some of the neutrals and colorful shades in Wild West.

Urban Decay Petite Heat Eyeshadow Palette

If you want a smaller and cheaper version of the Wild West and Heat palettes, you’ll love this little guy! The Petite Heat Eyeshadow Palette features some of the best colors in the previous palette, though in a smaller form. Perfect if the full-sized Naked palettes are too much for you.

Lorac Pro Palette Soleil

When I first discovered Lorac, I didn’t care for the brand. But I’ve been seeing their palettes hyped on review sites. Looking at this palette, I may give them a second chance.

Even though the Pro Palette Soleil is small, the colors are absolutely beautiful, and you have a large selection. I’m listing this one as an alternative because the shades are on the warmer side, like the Wild West palette.

While some reviewers complained that the powders are dry, they apparently blend well. This is another great everyday palette for neutral looks all the way to more glam ones.

Mac Pro Eye Palette: The Dame

I love Mac lipsticks but never quite cared for their eyeshadow. At least when I tried Mac shadow, I thought the colors blended weirdly. But I found this palette and noticed a lot of the colors look similar to the ones on Wild West.

Looking at the reviews, the colors are all easy to apply, and the pigment is buildable. There are versatile colors. Tame Me Out looks like Spur, Dame’d If I Do looks similar to Pony Up, and You and Only You looks like a combination of Whiskey and Ghost Town.

Unfortunately, this palette is out of stock. But it’s a great option if you want a cheaper and smaller alternative to Wild West.

Kat Von D Lolita Por Vida Eyeshadow Palette

I worship Kat Von D’s makeup. I swear by the Ink Liner. I have just about every Liquid Lipstick she has ever created. I even have her Sinner perfume, which is one of my favorites. But you know what? I never tried her eyeshadow. I have friends who love her shadows more than UD. That’s why I figured I would browse her website and see if I could find a dupe for Urban Decay’s Wild West.

Sure enough, I find the Lolita Por Vida palette. This warm-toned palette boasts amazing colors, and the packaging is stunning. While this palette is more rose-toned compared to Wild West, there are many everyday warm-toned colors that mirror some of the shades in Wild West.

Wet n’ Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow 10 Pan Palette in My Glamour Squad

I had to include a drugstore brand in here. I never really used Wet n’ Wild makeup, but my mom likes their products. Looking around on their website, I found the perfect cheap dupe for Wild West! Many of these colors are almost identical to the ones in Wild West, such as a dark blue/teal like Tex!

There are both neutral and bold shades here in addition to matte and shimmery colors. And for $5.99, you can’t really complain. Just make sure you get the palette in My Glamour Squad because there are several color combinations.

FAQs

Urban Decay Naked Wild West Review: My Final Verdict

Overall, Urban Decay definitely delivered with this palette. There are a variety of warm-toned shades that I feel will satisfy many wearers. While I knew the quality I was going to expect, it was fun experimenting with these new colors. I wasn’t surprised when I saw the colors were crazy pigmented, though I was shocked how some colors looked different when applied than they do in the pan.

I didn’t care for all of the colors, and I wish Whiskey, Ghost Town, and Pony Up blended better together. This is a palette I can see myself wearing frequently. I also didn’t think these colors blended as well as they did in other palettes. AND SERIOUSLY, why wasn’t there black in here? C’mon, Urban Decay, I will always be a goth girl deep down. I need black eyeshadow!

If you’re sick of wearing powder eyeshadow, I suggest trying cream eyeshadow sticks. I decided to try them, and I’m glad I made the switch. I tried the Nyx shadow sticks, and I absolutely loved them! Check out my review and tutorial.